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U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner banned from meeting with French government over summons no-show

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Kushner [see above], the father of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, was accused of a "misunderstanding of the basic expectations of an ambassador." He's the latest U.S. envoy to anger his hosts [see more examples below] .  Feb. 24, 2026, 6:53 AM EST  /  Updated Feb. 24, 2026, 12:59 PM EST By  Alexander Smith  and  Jean-Nicholas Fievet, NBC News Historically, the job of American ambassadors posted to friendly countries has been to quietly smooth over disagreements where they arise. The envoys dispatched to Europe by President Donald Trump, however, are  increasingly finding themselves at the heart of controversies  themselves. France demanded an explanation Tuesday from  Charles Kushner, the American ambassador in Paris , for why he  failed to show up when summoned  to explain comments made last week by the Trump administration that France objected to. The State Department  said  it was concerned that “violent radical...
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Thanks, Ukrainians Say, but Please Stop Calling Us Resilient

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Ukraine must project strength to secure continued Western support. But its people want the world to know they are not superhuman. Walking home this month past a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, damaged by a drone strike.  By  Maria Varenikova Photographs by  Oksana Parafeniuk Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine The New York Times , Feb. 25, 2026  Updated  5:26 a.m. ET Russian attacks had left Ksenia Shetelia with no water, heat or reliable electricity during a brutal winter. So when the power briefly flickered back on one recent day in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, she took an electric clipper, stepped up to a mirror and, strand by strand, shaved off her blond hair. While her young daughter was not happy, Ms. Shetelia, 37, would no longer have to worry about not being able to wash her hair. “I had a problem, and I solved it,” she said. But please don’t call her “resilient.” For four years, the people of Ukraine have been celebrated abroad for their perseverance...
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